I don’t need to worry about cutting the cord thanks to Max. Getting HBO content is easy for me, whether through a standalone subscription or as part of another streaming service.
In a hurry? If you would prefer to have Max integrated with a live TV streaming service, these are our favorites:
- DIRECTV STREAM: Gives you at least 80 channels with many options for more. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
- Hulu + Live TV: Provides the outstanding Hulu on-demand library along with 85+ channels. Try the Hulu Live free 3-day trial.
Table Of Contents
Max: you can barely change channels without seeing an ad for it. Or your more TV-savvy friends gushing about it.
What’s all the fuss? HBO (Home Box Office) has been around since the seventies. OTT (over-the-top) streaming’s been going on since before 2010 (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, etc.). So they’ve combined. Big deal?
Yes, big deal. If you want entertaining, compelling, funny, moving, and thought-provoking things to watch on that TV, then you absolutely want Max. And the good news is that it is really easy to get and you can subscribe for as little as $9.99/month (if you’re cool with ads).
From your big-screen TV to your phone and everything in-between, pretty much all you need to watch Max are an internet connection, a screen, and a Max subscription. If you’re reading this, you have the first two, and you can get the third by going to Max’s website right now.
But there are so many more ways, which we’ll discuss below. First, though, let’s go back to the entertaining, compelling things to watch.
About Max
Since its launch in 1972, HBO has continually been a ground-breaker for television. It’s the original “premium channel” with several firsts:
- Oldest and longest continuously-operated American TV subscription service
- First TV channel transmitted by satellite
- First pay TV service to win a Peabody Award
- First to “multiplex” its channels
- First American cable network to air an HD simulcast.
HBO was a pioneer in digital compression technology and has been innovating the way Americans watch TV for almost fifty years.
HBO Now
In 2015, HBO showed its ability to reliably roll with the times by launching HBO Now, a standalone streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) service. It already had a streaming app, HBO Go, but that was for people who already had a subscription to HBO from their TV provider.
HBO Now was different — it didn’t require a cable or satellite subscription with HBO to access it. For the first time, you could directly order HBO from HBO and pay HBO, cutting out the insufferable cable middleman. It was one of the first cable channels to do so, and arguably the most successful.
Max Begins
HBO is owned by Warner Bros Discovery, which also owns Warner Bros Studios, DC Studios, Castle Rock Entertainment, New Line Cinema, plus all the Turner channels (TNT, TBS, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, and Adult Swim), and Cinemax.
In 2020, new corporate overlords AT&T wanted to get all that sweet, sweet Warner content on their own SVOD platform instead of licensing it to Netflix. So they combined all the Warner content together with all the HBO and Cinemax content as the portmanteau HBO Max.
In early 2023, the streaming service was renamed simply Max although the channels were still HBO (and its subchannels) and Cinemax (and its subchannels).
The content includes theatrically released movies and original movies (eg, Deadwood: The Movie), specials, and series and documentaries. They sprinkled it generously with original productions you could only watch on Max and then made subscriptions available to everyone.
How Max Works
If you already have an Max subscription through your cable, satellite, or OTT streaming TV provider, you can log in with those credentials. If you don’t, you can go to Max’s website or app and get one there.
Max subscriptions through a live TV provider will give you access to both the library of on-demand content and some number of live HBO channels (there are 7 in total). Max alone only provides the on-demand content.
If you get it on its own and access it through the Max app, then you’ll “only” get the on-demand content. Live or “linear” TV channels are the old-fashioned traditional TV channels where you have a set schedule of programs. If you want to watch any given show you need to tune in when that show is scheduled to be on.
On-demand content means you have a selection of programs and you can pick what you want to watch from everything that’s available and watch it, whenever you want.
Live Streaming Services
Of the major live TV streaming services, three offer live HBO channels you can stream from within their app if you subscribe to Max. They vary on which of the 7 HBO channels they provide, and one (YouTube TV) gives you both HBO East and West (which is just time-delayed by three hours).
You also get all the on-demand Max content (see below in the Max section).
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is pricier than Hulu, but they also have more channels available. They offer four tiers of service, similar to a cable company, starting with the Entertainment package at $86.99/month.
It only gives you access to four live channels: HBO, HBO2, HBO Family, and HBO Latino. But you get all the on-demand Max content. The price is the same but it only offers the ad-free version ($16.99/month).
The Premier “everything” package includes all the premiums (Max, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz) in its $169.99/month price tag.
You get unlimited cloud DVR storage as long as you sign-up online in all DIRECTV STREAM plans. You also get the ability to stream on unlimited devices.
Our DIRECTV STREAM review has the details.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV gives you the standard Hulu on-demand library along with 95+ live TV channels for $82.99/month. These include all of your local channels and a broad selection of entertainment, information, family, and sports.
You can subscribe to Max alongside Hulu + Live TV for $9.99/month (with ads) or $16.99/month (without ads). Hulu offers all seven linear HBO channels.
It also provides unlimited cloud DVR (9 month storage) and the ability to simultaneously stream on two devices.
See our Hulu + Live TV review for more information.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV has basically the same package as Hulu + Live TV: 100+ for $82.99/month, and Max is an optional add-on. It does, however, provide all 7 of the HBO channels.
On-Demand Streaming Services
You can also get Max with on-demand streaming services. Let’s start with Max itself.
Max
Wait — what?? Isn’t this whole article about Max? Well, yes, but here’s where it gets a little tricky: you need the Max app, separate from your other TV provider(s), to access the Max-exclusive content (such as all the non-HBO Warner shows and movies and the Max-exclusive programs).
For example, if you want to watch Game of Thrones or The Sopranos, you can do that from your TV provider, whether it’s live, like DIRECTV STREAM above, or on-demand, like Apple TV below.
But if you want to watch Raised By Wolves (a Max original series) or binge South Park or Friends (both Max exclusives), you’d need to use the Max app. The HMax app is free, widely available, and runs on almost anything, so it’s not really a problem, other than having to switch apps. (You will also need to log in through your TV provider the first time.)
You can also just go straight to the source and subscribe to Max right in the app or on the website. It is $16.99/month ($9.99/month with ads). But you should check with your TV provider, some have promotions, free trials, or money-saving bundles you won’t get if you don’t subscribe through them. (deal details)
Hulu
You can subscribe to Max through Hulu’s original, cheaper on-demand service. In theory, you can get the linear channels with or without Live TV. And, of course, you get all the HBO plus all the Max extras, on-demand, available to watch whenever you want.
The base Hulu plan is $7.99/month. And Max is an extra $9.99/month (with ads) and $16.99/month (ad-free).
Our Hulu review has more information.
Apple TV
You can subscribe to Apple TV Channels in the Apple TV app, including Max for the usual $9.99/month or $16.99/month for the ad-free plan.
Devices to Live Stream Max
Max and most other streaming services support the major streaming devices currently in use. Here are the devices Max supports. They are also supported by Hulu + Live TV and DIRECTV STREAM (exceptions are in parentheses).
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android TV (Stream)
- Apple TV
- Cox Contour (Hulu,Stream)
- Chromecast
- LG Smart TV (Stream)
- PlayStation (Stream)
- Roku
- Samsung TV
- VIZIO Smart TV (Stream)
- Xbox One (Stream)
- XClass TV (Hulu,Stream)
- Xfinity (Stream).
Wrapping Up
Max is widely available for cord-cutters — it was created for cord cutters. Any of the services we’ve discussed above are good options.
FAQs
Scripted
- Close Enough
- The Flight Attendant
- Gossip Girl
- Love Life
- Made for Love
- Raised by Wolves
Kids
- Aquaman: King of Atlantis
- Craftopia
- Jellystone!
- Looney Tunes Cartoons
- Tom and Jerry Special Shorts
- Mo Willems and the Storytime All-Stars Present: Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime Shorts!
- The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo
Unscripted/Reality
- Baketopia
- The Big Shot with Bethenny
- Ellen’s Next Great Designer
- FBOY Island
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion
- Friends: The Reunion
- Legendary
- Selena + Chef
Movies
- An American Pickle
- Charm City Kings
- Let Them All Talk
- Locked Down
- Superintelligence
- The Witches
- Zack Snyder’s Justice League (AKA “The Snyder Cut”)
- No Sudden Move.
Documentaries/Docuseries
- Equal
- Expecting Amy
- Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground.
- Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults
- LFG
- On the Record
- On the Trail: Inside the 2020 Primaries
- What Happened, Brittany Murphy?
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Her expertise stems from being an early adopter of various entertainment technologies, from mail-order Netflix to modern streaming platforms. Alanna's in-depth knowledge of Sling TV's modular service and her ability to cover diverse streaming content make her a key expert in navigating the complex landscape of modern streaming options, especially in sports and entertainment.
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